Tear Down the Sky
by didsomeonesayventus
Summary: Xehanort seems to be lying low for now, and Yen Sid is following the trend. The Keyblade War on the horizon is now at a stalemate. Except now Sora's got this letter and he realizes an action he needs to take if he wants to keep his friends safe. M for intense violence later on
1. Chapter 1

The Mysterious Tower was calm. Immensely peaceful and undisturbed with clouds lazily drifting past the twilit sky and grassy grounds and stars twinkling without any care for what was going on outside their own little worlds.

Sora looked it over with... Perhaps it was contempt and perhaps it was loss or maybe it was the weirdest mix of the two. A letter was clutched in his hand as he watched Riku training Kairi and Lea. What if he was there too? As a REAL master? Sora looked at his letter again, reading it over with a numb idea of what it meant already.

Or maybe becoming a master would take too long. There was so much they needed to do in so little time that they needed to act, but Yen Sid's orders were to wait and train. Waiting only got him so far in his journey since that fated night when he was fourteen. Most of it was pushed forward through action, and the only thing waiting did was make things worse. A self-loathing sort of playful smile started forming; or maybe his thoughts were being muddled by his own impatience.

"Whatcha got there, Sora?"

Sora looked up to see Kairi walking in. He stuffed the letter in his jacket pocket "Oh, some sketches Jiminy gave me..."

Kairi leaned by the wall next to him "Can I see? I didn't know Jiminy sketched-"

"They're art studies of me," Sora dismissed her "you wouldn't want to see me without a top on-"

"Excuse me but I don't think that's Jiminy's thing." Kairi said, her eyes narrowing with either amusement or annoyance. It was hard to tell with her occasionally capricious nature.

Sora brushed back his hair a bit "He said he wanted a model so he could learn to draw people, so I volunteered." He shrugged "In the name of good art, ya know?"

Kairi reached for his pocket "Oh come on, just show me. I bet you don't look that bad."

Sora shied away, and pulled the letter out of his pocket to keep it out of Kairi's reach while starting to smile "Oh I do look bad! I got lotsa scars and a six pack!"

"Even better!" Kairi laughed as she splayed herself across Sora's lap while reaching for the paper.

Sora stood, unceremoniously dumping Kairi on the ground with a wide grin "Sorry, Kai! You're not seeing this." Kairi, now sitting up from being splayed in the ground, puffed a few clumps of hair out of her face.

Sora's smile flickered as he glanced over a few words of the letter "_... Danger... Turn in... Safety... Dead..._" He then put the letter in the pouch of his tank top "It's... a little personal, okay? I was lying; it's not Jiminy's sketches it's a letter from mom 'n dad."

That was another lie. Sora was keeping track of how many times he lied to Kairi, feeling that it was the only way to keep the guilt at bay. And if he went through with what he was about to do? He wondered if she'd hate him eternally for the strings he was pulling.

Kairi stood, huffing and crossing her arms with a concerned and guilty look "Okay, you could've told me and I'd've left you alone."

Sora smirked "What can I say? It's fun teasing you." Kairi smacked his shoulder for the comment. Sora laughed and backed away a small bit "Oh come on, it's true!"

Kairi flicked Sora's chin up "Sora, I've known you for years and you're not the teasing type."

Sora looked outside and nodded "Yeah, I guess." He grew even more somber. He needed to get going soon. How long was his window of opportunity going to last?

"It's scary, isn't it?" Kairi asked him "The whole... Xehanort fiasco."

Sora shrugged "Kinda faced it twice before-"

"Not to this scale." Kairi pointed out. She tugged at her hair with a sigh "I think I understand how scary it was for you then..."

Sora smirked again "Yeah, it was scary, but I wouldn't trade it for anything." He smile faded as his hand brushed against the letter. He really needed to wrap this up... He turned to Kairi, grabbed her hand, and looked into her eyes "Kairi," he paused, trying to find the right way to express his feelings and give a small signal for what was going to probably be a really stupid decision in his life.

He found the words "I would tear down the sky for you."

He then left her standing there, eyes wide, mouth taut and puckered yet straight, and a blush starting to form on her cheeks. Kairi mulled over the words in surprised silence. Yes, the words held the context of love, but just what kind of love was it-

"Kairi, where's Sora going?"

Kairi blinked, then turned to Riku and brushed her hair back "U-um, what?"

Riku wiped sweat from the back of his neck and brow "Where's Sora going? Yen Sid said we needed to wait for his instructions before doing anything." Kairi shrugged. Riku took a look around "Hmm, doesn't look like he's here-"

"Sora just kinda talked to me and left." Kairi said.

Riku turned back to her "What'd he say?"

Kairi tapped her cheek. The suddenness of Sora's words left her a little dazed "Um... 'I would tear down the sky for you'..." She trailed off at Riku's alarmed look "What?"

"Kairi, you know what his name means, right?!" He asked her.

"Yeah, I used it in my letter to him. It means..." She finally hopped on the same panic boat as Riku. Her voice dropped to a horrified whisper "sky."

She ran for the stairs, only saying "Oh my gosh." She took the steps two at a time, yelling for Sora with Riku following after. Her mind was in a panic. Sora essentially said he was destroying himself for her that was not a good thing-

Kairi slammed into something tall and black "Woah! Hey what's up with you two?!"

Kairi shook her dizzied head and backed away, then resumed her chase "Sora~!"

Lea watched her go, then held Riku back "Hey now, what about Sora? He said he was leaving to clear his head."

Riku shook his head "Me and Kairi don't think so."

Riku resumed chasing after Kairi, but Lea shrugged and continued going back upstairs "Ugh, kids..." He halted a moment, then turned around and went down thanks to his conscience bashing his head around for not being more active with Roxas in keeping him safe "Okay, fine."

Kairi saw Sora readying a portal to leave, and yelled at him "Sora, what are you doing?!"

Unlike the jump she suspected, Sora only turned his head with and guilt filled look. He glanced at the ground "Keeping you and Riku safe."

He turned back to the portal opening, but Kairi was not going to let him leave. She walked towards him "Sora don't you dare-"

Sora pulled out his letter "I have to."

Kairi paused to scoff "I doubt your parents-"

"It's not my parents." Sora explained "It's Xehanort."

Kairi threw up her hands in exasperation "You know better than to listen to him!" She held out her hand "Come on, just call it off."

Riku and Lea showed up "Sora!"

Sora looked back at them with a sad smile "Sorry guys, but I also know better than to not listen to a death threat." he started disappearing, and he quietly let the letter float to the ground "Keep on fighting, okay?"

Riku lunged at Sora to stop him, but only ended up with a letter in his face, dirt and blood in his mouth, and his best friend he worked so hard to keep safe in danger again.

* * *

Felt I needed to post something this was gonna be a one shot but I decided to break it into three parts


	2. Chapter 2

Sora ignored the jeers he received. It was almost a parade, though, so it became hard to ignore after awhile. He tried keeping his thoughts on Kairi and Riku but it proved borderline impossible when every insult imaginable thrown his way and his confidence becoming skewered. But as Sora grew in sadness, his rage started boiling over.

"Well, well, well, we meet again, don't we?" Sora's walk of shame was halted by the youngest incarnation of Xehanort. Sora looked away, except Xehanort's gloved hand grabbed Sora's chin and forced the boy to look at him "Hmm, I never imagined such an admittedly ugly duckling would grow to such a..." He chuckled as he ran his thumb over Sora's cheek "_Fetching_ young lad-"

Sora bit Xehanort's thumb. He forced his teeth through the leather, not even hesitating as he began tasting blood and flesh. His glare at Xehanort was distilled and almost feral hatred, ignoring the outcries and focusing only on his target. Xehanort, however, was as placid as ever. Perhaps idly surprised and/or intrigued. The pain was utterly unnoticed "Oh? Is the little lion cub finally biting back?" Sora gnashed his teeth and growled in response.

Xigbar tried pulling Sora away, but Xehanort held up his free hand "Don't." He returned Sora's glare, and a quiet battle of wills started. Sora kept biting, although he was becoming tired of doing so and utterly lost at the lack of response from the enigmatic young man. He shoved the confusion aside and bit down harder. Xehanort titled his head "Go right on ahead, if you can do it."

Sora's eyes widened in surprise and bewilderment. He certainly didn't expect that kind of response, and the sudden realization of what he was doing- what he was _going for_, in fact -made him numb. His teeth slackened, and eventually Xehanort pulled his thumb out completely. He idly inspected it "Almost to the bone. Remarkable for someone so utterly drenched in light." He smirked at Sora, then left "Most would have stopped the moment they felt skin."

Sora only numbly stared ahead as they went their separate ways.

...

Sora's hand was chained to the wall, so was the other, and so was his feet. He settled in as comfortably as he could, glaring at the hooded member in front of him "So, whatcha gonna do-" He felt the unmistakably painful sting of a fist to his jaw. After a moments to recover, he looked at his assailant questioningly.

He then blinked at the sight of Saïx undoing his hood "We break you. Simple enough." Sora watched him carefully for tells; where was he going to strike next- Sora jerked his head to the left as Saïx's fist came at him. The two enemies glared at each other. Saïx smirked "Well, this will be interesting."

"It's gonna be an unfair and one sided fistfight." Sora scoffed.

Saïx shrugged, then said "Sora, allow me to ask you something-"

Sora rolled his eyes "Not like I have anything better to do than to listen to a half wit like you." He pressed himself against the wall when Saïx growled, with _very_ sharp looking teeth in view. He began hoping and praying that berserk form of his wouldn't activate.

Saïx's usual and uncanny calm returned "So, if I am number seven in the organization, then why was I second in command?"

Sora shrugged "I dunno seven is a lucky number." He then glared at him "By the way you can back out of my personal space now."

Saïx only leaned in more, his breath tickling Sora's ear "But what if there was something more there? Why wouldn't Xigbar question it, as he was number two?"

Sora felt a buzz of panic, but remained calm "Xemnas placed you there. Now BACK. OFF."

Saïx moved so that he and Sora were almost nose to nose "And why would he do that?" Sora turned away, but Saïx grabbed his chin "I saw you had the answer earlier. You responded to my annoyance at your impudence."

Sora blinked as the light bulb fired up "They were afraid."

"Exactly." Saïx backed away. He summoned his claymore and began pacing "They- and you -know what I can do. With this," he grinned at Sora, who shied back again at the combined sight of a weapon in the enemy's hands and, well, mouth in a sense "or without." Sora locked onto the claymore as it swung at his face, anticipating having to doge that, too (or at least be aware of what was about to gouge his eyes out), but then it halted with a spike trailing down his cheek "You don't know what I am fully capable of. You're still just a child. You've also hardly seen me in combat, the barest exploitations I can pull-"

"Hey, moony!"

Sora blinked and cocked his head to the side at the sight of Xigbar standing in the doorway. Sora seemed relived, while Saïx seemed... Displeased "I work so hard to build the proper air for him to get _crushed_ and for me to enjoy myself for once and you _interrupt_ me?!"

Xigbar shrugged "Well, just sayin' that the old man needs you to distract the goody-two-shoes." he gestured to Sora "I've been assigned to take care of kiddo from here."

Saïx glared at Sora, then left "And I was about to have so much fun." Sora sighed and grew slack against the chains, but then felt them get shot off by Xigbar.

Xigbar grinned at Sora "So, how about we really begin."

...

Kairi sighed. They just couldn't find where Sora was. "Riku, what do you think?"

Riku pulled out the letter again "'...the place where your heart will lead you.' That's what it says. It could be anywhere." He sighed "I can't believe he did that without warning us he's such an idiot."

"What would he do without us, right? But hey at least he gave us a hint of what he was doing" Kairi sighed in agreement. She mulled over the letter again "But then again didn't it also say that we couldn't know or the deal was void?" _That could be anywhere, _she thought. Sora's heart was capricious in its nature when it came to subjects it lead to.

Riku brushed back his bangs "I just hope he's okay."

...

Sora strained his ears. He couldn't see with the blindfold over his eyes, was chained to the ground by his wrists, and not to mention Xigbar had just cackled and apparently left him. _Apparently_. With the freeshooter running around through space in portals and such, he could've been anywhere. Sora _needed_ to hear the click before it was too late and act accordingly.

"So, Sora, let me tell you a fairy tale."

Sora turned his head out of habit. Where was he where was he-

"Once upon a time there was three losers."

Sora heard three firings of Xigbar's gun and tried dodging. He managed to miss a few, but one grazed his side.

"One of them was a pretentious little air headed girl, who thought that being a master meant she was always right."

Sora cried out as his back became a pin cushion.

"The other was dumb muscle who walked right into our arms."

Sora's next attempt to dodge fared better, but his shoulders were shot. He looked around in the resulting silence, scared by the sudden silence. And then he heard that telltale click behind him:

_Right behind his head_ "And the third little loser is right here in front of me."

Sora was caught in stiff silence as he heard Xigbar walk to his side and adjust the barrel to perpendicular to Sora's temple "I-I- what?!"

"You heard me. I wondered why I never saw it before, _Ventus_."

"I don't know who or what you're talking about!" Sora yelled.

Xigbar laughed "So, _Ven_, I'm gonna give you to the count of three before I blow kiddo's brains out. For real."

"WHAT?!" Sora shrieked.

"One."

Sora shook his head "No! No! I don't know who this Ven guy is! Please-"

"Two."

"I don't know! I DON'T KNOW!" Sora felt tears fall onto his cheeks.

"Two and a quarter."

Sora strained away from Xigbar, but still felt that horrible pressure on his head "I'M TELLING YOU I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!"

Sora's pleas fell on deaf ears "Two and a half, Ventus! Wakey, wakey, sleeping beauty."

"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY _I DON'T KNOW?!_"

"Two and _three quarters_!"

Sora suddenly burst out in fury rather than fear "BRAIG YOU SO MUCH AS TOUCH THAT TRIGGER I WILL PERSONALLY END YOU!"

Xigbar, satisfied with the answer, pulled the gun away and backed up a few steps. Sora fell to his knees, trying to steady his shaking and stop his hyperventilating breaths. Words tumbled from his lips again, but this time tempered with sobs of relief and fear "Don't you _dare_ hurt him any more than this or I will never forgive you!"

Xigbar laughed "Forgiveness? Jeez you act as if I want that!" He kicked Sora to the ground "As if."

As Sora painfully helped himself up, trying hard to comprehend the events that had transpired, Xigbar left. His laughter never skipped a beat.

* * *

This was gonna be longer but it's already approaching 2k and man I think there are limits to seeing Sora beaten up and tortured and such even for me. So I'll just say that what commences is Kairi and Riku are unable to find Sora and (NEXT CHAPTER SPOILERS) because (NEXT CHAPTER SPOILERS) and we'll pick back up right at our next lil Keyblade War between the 'norts and our heroes beginning.


End file.
